1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to informational, decorative or auxiliary lighting systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to lighting systems that can at least partially be concealed or protected within a housing when not in use.
2. Related Art
Decorative and informational lighting displays have been provided in a variety of configurations for many years. One popular type of such displays is the perennial Christmas light display presented by many homeowners in connection with the Christmas holidays (such displays have also become popular with Halloween, Independence Day and a variety of other holidays). Such lighting displays typically include a plurality of “strings” of lights, often connected end-to-end, that are attached to a house near edges of the roof of the house, along raingutters of the house, beneath eaves of the house, etc.
As these lighting displays are rarely a permanent portion of the house, they are often installed a few days or weeks prior to a holiday, and removed after the holiday has passed. Due to the typical location of such displays, installing and removing the light strings often involves the use of ladders, or climbing on or across rooftops, or similar procedures that often place the installer at considerable risk of injury. In the case where the holiday occurs in a season that typically involves cold weather, this risk can be greatly increased due to the presence of ice or snow on the rooftop or on the ground. Also, most such lighting systems are not designed for permanent installation and so must be installed and removed each season. Even in the case where the lighting strings are designed to withstand year-round installation, many homeowners do not wish to leave the strings in place year-round, due to cosmetic reasons.
In addition to these considerations, strings of lights are notoriously difficult to store (and retrieve from storage) without causing the strings to be become frustratingly entangled. Also, extension cords are very often necessary to power the strings of light, adding complexity and fire/electrocution risk to the installation and removal process. Furthermore, the choice of decorative displays that can be presented with such lights is limited by the strands to very plain, one-dimensional displays.